Clock Strikes Midnight
by Stephy825
Summary: Ever heard of the Midnight Game? -side story to Tales of Chibi-
1. Part 1

**A/N: **This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but the story stretched for so long that I had to split it to two parts.

Anyway, after probably 6 straight hours, I finally finished this~ It's a side story to Tales of Chibi, and it's my Halloween 2011 fic. If you're wondering why I crammed it all now, I'm not going to be here on Halloween, so I had to finish it today or else. Yeah. If you don't understand what's going on after you finish this, reading the original fic, Tales of Chibi, should clear up more things for you. ^_^

I hope you enjoy this! I'm going to sleep. X_X

* * *

><p><em>Three years ago in a small city...<em>

_There were six kids in front of a huge abandoned house on a Halloween night. They were about to play a game...a very VERY dangerous game. BUT they did not know how dangerous it was. The leader of the group who was very handsome and strong and confident told em that everything will be alright as they faced the scariest, most terrifying place they have ever known._

_But what makes it even scarier...is the game itself._

"Ever heard of the Midnight Game?" the chibi brunette muttered to himself as he typed on the keyboard with an evil grin. He cackled softly as every key he pressed made an eerie echo in the dark room; the only source of light would be the bright computer screen in front of him.

_Each of them had a piece of paper in their hands...and each one wrote their full name on it. After that, they let a little bit of their BLOOD drop on the paper...letting it soak and turning it red. Already the other five were scared. But not the leader. He was FEARLESS._

_And so after doing that, they gathered in front of the creepy door that looked like it could break if someone touched it. Each of them lit the candle and put it under their name. Then each kid knocked on the door 22 times and the leader was the one who did it last and once he did that a loud rining sound came from the house signaling that it was midnight. The ledaer then opened the door and everyone blew out their candles. The game had officialy began. With their candles, they all went inside one by one. Fearing that the Midnight Man would come to get them. But the leader wasn't afraid. In fact, he looked forward to seeing the Midnight man and KICKING HIS BUTT._

_It wasn't before long when everyone got seperated and each and every one of them were alone. One of the girls who had bleu hair was the one that was scared the most and wished that she was with the leader. But this is payback for all the times she smacked me with that wooden spoon._

_The cool dude even if he was always calm and blah and not afriad of anything was afraid of whats there to come in the house. But the_

"Dan, what the heck are you doing?" said 'cool dude' asked after opening the door and noticing that the lights were off. He then turned them on, which for some reason made the brunette hiss irritatingly. "What's with the hissing?"

"I'm trying to make myself creepy."

"...don't, it's disturbing."

"Exactly."

Shun sighed deeply. "Just get outta here. We're not supposed to be in the office, remember?"

"Hmph. You're no fun."

* * *

><p><strong>Clock Strikes Midnight<strong>

It was a cool Halloween evening...just before dinner. Most of the chibis were in the play room again playing some new games that the owner has sent over, and some of the others were just chilling on the couch or watching TV. Spectra, meanwhile, was still holed up in his ship doing who knows what. Gale was lying on the couch, napping ever since late afternoon. He was up late the other night, and he wanted to catch some more z's in case he would lose them again another time.

The crimson-haired teen had been sleeping just fine before he was woken up by someone nudging him and a loud voice. "Gale, wake up! I need to tell you something!"

He groaned as his right hand rubbed his eyes and the left went in to clenching that someone's wrist to stop shaking him. "What is it, Dan?" he didn't mean to come out grumpy, but suddenly being woken up by shaking can do that to people.

"Can we play a game-"

"I already did last night-"

"-you didn't let me finish! I was about to say can we play a game _later_?"

"...later? What game are we going to play?" out of the blue, the brunette's happy grin turned in to a very, very evil one. "Ever heard of the Midnight Game?" he bolted upward from the cushioned seat and just stared at him. "Are you...are you serious? Have you even played that game before?"

"Yep, three years ago with Runo, Marucho, Julie, Shun, and Alice!"

"You're suggesting that we're gonna play it here. _Tonight_. With everyone else." the brunette nodded. "..._are you out of your mind_? We...we can't play _that_! Even if it is Halloween!"

"Oh c'mon, Gale! Don't be such a scaredy-cat. I've played it over before, so there's nothing to be afraid about."

"I couldn't contact you for a full month after Halloween that year, Dan."

"I was busy!"

"Trying to stop yourself from shivering?" the chibi pouted while folding his arms for an added effect. "Gale, please? I really _really_ want to play! It's not every day that everyone's here and to see Spectra scared-"

"Is that what this is about?"

"Yeah."

"..."

"What? Not a good enough reason?"

"One, yes, that's a stupid reason. Two, you've all been shrunken in to your younger selves, which means that you've become more skittish and frightened over the tiniest creak. Three, if we play this, I'm going to lose more sleep compared to yesterday. Lastly, the same thing that happened three years ago would happen again this year, and I don't want to be stuck having to babysit you constantly in fear that the Midnight Man is going to get you."

"Wow, you really thought of everything."

"Yes, so can we not play the Midnight Game?"

"Nope." the teen's face lit up. "We're not?"

"No, I mean we are gonna play it later! I'm gonna round up the others for dinner. And then after that you're gonna help me explain the rules and stuff to them, okay?"

He groaned, but he had no other choice. Once Dan was determined to do something, there was nothing that was going to shake him despite the huge, obvious consequences. "Fine. I'll get Spectra."

"Yay! Thanks, Gale!" he chirped as he hugged him around the waist. After that, he quickly let go and rushed to the upper floors. The teen sighed deeply as he ruffled his messy hair from his nap. _I wonder if Spectra will even play this crazy game..._

-o-

It was now a few minutes past dinnertime as everyone was done with their meal and were all sitting comfortably in the living room. "Man, I'm stuffed." Volt muttered. A few murmurs came after, agreeing with him or just mumbling what they're gonna do next. Out of the blue, Dan jumped on the large coffee table in the middle; scaring everyone with the sudden, loud thumping sound of the brunette' weight on the wood. Gale mentally face-palmed.

"Okay, guys, we're all gonna play a game tonight!"

"A game on Halloween, this should be fun." Runo muttered while sitting on the same couch the crimson-haired boy was sleeping on not long ago.

"What is Halloween, anyway? I keep hearing about it, but all I see are a bunch of pumpkins, bats, and black stuff." Ace said; lying on the arm of another sofa.

"Well you're soon gonna find out. The game we're gonna play...is the Midnight Game." automatically five other people reacted in the room, namely the five original brawlers. "_What_? Dan, you can't be serious!" Shun shouted with an expression filled with shock. The others said the same thing along those lines while Alice just glanced around; looking frightened. Everyone else in the room except for Gale was now confused about the negative response. Even Spectra was interested on why it got them so on edge.

"Don't worry, we're gonna be twisting the rules a bit this year! For one thing, we're going in pairs!"

"_Pairs_?" everyone repeated minus the younger teen again. He knew about this part of the plan since he was the one who suggested it in the first place. If they were going to play this game, they might as well try to tackle it with someone else rather than being alone.

"Yep! I have a box here," he jumped down from the table and fetched a black colored container on the floor nearby. After picking it up, he ran back to his original spot. The brunette was clearly excited about this. "and all your names are inside. Gale will be picking the pairs, and it will be at random, so you have no idea who you're gonna be paired up with. After that, we're gonna explain the rest of the rules."

And so the group spent the next several minutes with a mixture of emotions flying around. Every time Gale's hand reached in to the box and pulled out a tiny, white, folded piece of paper, the room's atmosphere seemed to grow tense. "First is Spectra...and Lync." the blond just glanced at the sniveling Vexos and sighed.

"Next is...Alice...and Shadow." the girl was surprised, and the chibi just shrugged and didn't mind it.

"Next, Mylene and...Ace."

"What? Why am I stuck with her?" said teal-haired chibi objected.

"Just be glad I'm not trying to kill you know, twerp."

He ignored the arguing duo and continued on. "Next pair...Julie and...Marucho." the two exchanged glances; they seem fine with each other.

"Shun...and Hydron."

"Hmph." the Ventus brawler simply folded his arms.

"At least it's not Dan." the Subterra Vexos brawler followed suit.

"Baron and...me. Huh." the red head simply shrugged. "Next, Volt and...Gus. Then...Dan and...Runo?"

"What's with the questioning tone?" the bluenette asked, or more of demanded.

"N-nothing. Just a little surprised, that's all." he turned to the brunette, and it seemed that he regretted the decision of ever having this game. Gale couldn't help but snicker. "And the one alone would be Mira."

"W-what?"

"Sorry, but when I wrote all this down, we're uneven, so there was bound to be someone who wounded up alone. Apparently, that's you."

"What about the butler dude?" Baron asked.

"Oh, he took the night off." Gale told him. "Went to sleep early, so when playing the game, try not to stumble in to his room, okay?"

The last sentence seemed to end with an eerie feeling, but everyone dismissed it. Now comes the fun part for Dan: explaining what the Midnight Game actually was.

-o-

_**1.) Write your full name (first, middle, and last) on a piece of paper and put at least one drop of blood on the same paper. Allow it to soak in.**_

Everyone didn't like the idea of having to prick themselves for this, especially the younger chibis like Baron and Lync. But it had to be done, and so with tears in their eyes, the red drop crawled slowly out of their hand and on to the paper. Once that was over, they immediately added pressure on it to stop it from bleeding. Gale was already getting worried about the others' well being. This is not a game for a bunch of four to ten-year-olds to be playing, despite the fact that they were all teens before this.

_**2.) Turn off all the lights in the house. Go to your door and place the paper with your name in front of it. Take the candle and light it. Afterward, place the candle on top of the paper with your name.**_

It didn't help that some of the chibis yelped loudly once they killed all the lights in the house. The mansion was extremely quiet, so quiet that the crickets outside can be heard if they concentrated hard enough. Fortunately, the moon was half full tonight, which at least let some white light pass through the windows. The hallways on the other hand were as dark as night, and the candle was not much help, either.

_**3.) Knock on your own door 22 times (the hour MUST be 12:00AM upon the final knock), then open the door, blow out the candle, and close the door. You have just allowed the "Midnight Man" into your home.**_

"Is the Midnight Man some kind of old ghost that's like scaring the heck out of people who try this?" Hydron asked as the others were knocking on the door. Some were fast, some were terribly hesitant and slow, only to speed up when the others tell him or her to.

"Yes, yes he is." Dan replied nonchalantly.

"...that's a stupid hobby."

It was the chibi brunette that opened the front door, blew out the candle, and closed it again. They all felt an ominous chill in the air, as if the place had gone down a few degrees. The Pyrus brawler was now having more second thoughts about pursuing this game, but he swallowed them anyway and quickly did the final instruction.

_**4.) Immediately relight your candle.**_

_**This is where the game begins. You must now lurk around your completely dark house with the lit candle in hand. Your goal is to avoid the Midnight Man at all costs until exactly 3:33AM. Should your candle ever go out, it is because the Midnight Man is near you. You must relight your candle within the next ten seconds. If you are unsuccessful in relighting the candle, you must immediately surround yourself with a circle of salt.**_

_**If you are unsuccessful in both of these, the Midnight Man will induce a hallucination of your greatest fear until 3:33AM. If you are successful in relighting the candle, you may proceed. If you are successful in creating the circle of salt, you must remain within the circle until 3:33AM.**_

_**You must continue until 3:33AM without being attacked by the Midnight Man or being trapped within the circle of salt to win the Midnight Game. The Midnight Man will leave at 3:33AM and you will be safe to proceed with your morning. Staying in one spot the entire game will only result in the Midnight Man finding you. It is highly advised you continue moving throughout the game.**_

_**A few things to remember:**_

_**-DO NOT turn on any lights during the Midnight Game.**_

_**-DO NOT use a flashlight during the Midnight Game.**_

_**-DO NOT go to sleep during the Midnight Game.**_

_**-DO NOT use another person's blood on your name.**_

_**-DO NOT use a lighter to substitute for a candle. It will not work.**_

_**-DEFINITELY DO NOT attempt to provoke the Midnight Man in ANY WAY.**_

_**That is all. Have fun.**_


	2. Part 2

_**12:15am**_

"Of all the people I had to be stuck with, why did it have to be _Runo_?" Dan thought bitterly as the pair walked silently in the mansion. The bluenette was the one that held the candle, and her face was filled with caution and hints of fear. She wasn't the same scared little girl that played this game when she was twelve, but even now, it was still frightening. She had trouble deciding whether having Dan beside her was a reassuring thing or not.

"Hey, Dan, why did you want to play this game again, anyway? Remember what happened last time?"

"I dunno, I honestly wanted to see Spectra scared, but I guess I didn't think this through."

"You sure didn't. I wonder why I even let myself get caught in to this..."

The two of them were silent for a while. They were both walking down one of the many long, narrow hallways in the mansion. Everywhere the candle's soft glow reached was something that looked far scarier than normal, like all the doors that were spread out across them, each one could've opened at any moment and something could've jumped out at them. They really didn't want that to happen. It went on like this for quite some time...trying to find a window so that they can tell that they're not in some kind of horrible nightmare and they're just in someone's house.

They both attempted to ignore what sounded like footsteps other than theirs behind them; thinking that it was their own imagination.

_**12:18am**_

Alice whimpered as her hand trembled while holding the candle. She had somehow lost her partner, Shadow, as they were walking around the higher floors of the mansion. Where he was now, she didn't know, but the more important fact was that she was all alone with no one else around. She really wished that she wasn't playing this game, and hoped that she would bump in to someone sooner or later.

Out of the blue, she heard someone sniffling close by. She tried to dismiss it, but then as she moved closer, it sounded more and more real, and much louder too. There was no light coming from that direction, but her own candle showed that there was indeed someone there. Someone small...

"T-that jerk...leaving me all alone..." came the voice of a certain little Ventus brawler. The Darkus brawler was surprised. "Lync?"

The figure looked up and saw the orange-yellow glow. "Y-you're the n-nice girl..." before she could say anything else, the chibi wailed and just hung around her waist; the girl's dress now being somewhat drenched in the boy's tears. She was at first shocked, but then she simply smiled and tried to comfort him. "There, there...it's okay..."

_**12: 24am**_

"I hope that everyone else is okay..." Gale muttered as he held the candle with such a steady grip that it looked like he could do it forever. Baron was walking close to his leg, reacting to the smallest creak that some of the floorboards made when stepped on. "I...I don't like Halloween, Gale."

"Baron, Halloween isn't about scaring other people. For kids, it's supposed to be a fun holiday where you go trick-or-treating and get a lot of free candy."

"Candy? Really?" his eyes lit up at the sound of the word; his fear had washed away and was now replaced with curiosity.

"Yeah, though I myself only experienced it once. I bet Dan and the others have been doing it ever since he started school."

"H-how do you get candy? Can you tell me?"

The teen smiled. Talking should pass the time for the both of them, and the topic wasn't really scary either. "Well, you see..."

_**12:31am**_

"It feels like forever since we stepped in to this house." Julie whined.

"No kidding. How long do you think we've been in here, twenty, thirty minutes?" Marucho added with a downcast expression.

"I don't know. I just hope that 3:33am will come soon..."

_**12:32am**_

The silence that hung between Shun and Hydron was deafening despite nothing was going on at all. Shun was the one that held the candle, and as they traversed the ground floor, he swore that he heard something moving around, and it didn't sound human. The two soon passed the living room where the pairings were picked, but now in the darkness it looked like a mere bunch of objects that were obscuring their path. "This is stupid." Hydron said bluntly.

"At least someone agrees with me." the Ventus brawler nodded once.

"Why do you hang out with that kid, anyway? He's nothing more than an irritating nuisance."

He simply smirked. "Maybe so, but he's still my best friend."

"...I don't get how having friends would do you any good. Allies, sure, but friends? What's the point?"

"It's not exactly something that can be easily explained..." the ravenette muttered as he tried to think of something else to say. "Dan was...the person that pulled me from my solitary state when I was little. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to get through many things. Right now, he's just the same kid I grew up with in my childhood. Under that stubborn and hyperactive exterior is someone who truly cares about others no matter who they are."

"From all people, I didn't expect you to tell me this."

"Hmph. You won't understand the feeling until you experience it yourself. Maybe Gale will be able to shed some light on this."

"We'll have to see."

_**12:39am**_

"I hate you, twerp."

"I hate you too, Mylene."

"It was your fault that we lost the game so quickly."

"Me? You're the one that let the candle's flame disappear!"

"And you were the one that didn't know how to work the matches! Matches, of all things!"

"As if you don't know how to do that too!"

"I do too! I'll show you right now."

...

"...well?" the Vestal asked with a smirk.

"...never speak of this to anyone or your head comes off."

He laughed. "That is if I could survive until 3:33am stuck in a salt circle beside you."

_**12:47am**_

"Where exactly are we?" Volt mused aloud as he let the candle illuminate the walls around them. Gus didn't reply and was simply examining every little thing they passed. Spectra's loyal pet was very, very bored with this.

"Hm? I hear something from that room." the Haos brawler suddenly said. It caught the attention of the blue-haired male, and the both of them approached the door cautiously. They glanced at each other and both nodded before Gus reached for the knob and turned it slowly.

One peek in the room made them shut the door so fast that the sound echoed in the entire hallway. After shaking off their frozen condition, they bolted for another area while trying to keep the candle lit the whole way.

_**1:02am**_

"..."

"..."

"...so..."

"..?"

"How's life?"

"...you're not making this any better, twerp."

"Just trying to make some conversation..."

_**1:13am**_

"Okay, Dan, I swear, I think someone or something is stalking us."

"I know, but I can't really tell where it is." the brunette was glancing around as they were approaching a corner. Throughout the entire time, the sound of footsteps came and vanished time and time again. Sometimes it was so close that it seemed that the thing was right behind them, and sometimes it was far-as if it came from another hallway. Either way, the sound was loud and clear. The two weren't sure whether it was other people passing by them, or someone else entirely.

"R-R-Runo..." Dan suddenly stuttered.

"Y-yeah..?"

"L-look there..." at the corner, a soft glow emerged from the darkness. Before they could even react, two familiar voices pierced through the heavy, quiet path. "As I recall, the Midnight Game is some kind of ritual for punishment in the olden days. While obviously people don't use that anymore as a way for someone to repent his crimes, the Midnight Game has suddenly gained popularity in the internet, with a lot of people trying it and telling their experiences. Actually, that's where I heard-"

"_Gale_?" the Pyrus brawler called. The voice stopped, and the glow grew brighter until two figures appeared in their view. "Hey, it's you guys. I didn't expect to bump in to you."

"Have you been telling these kinds of stuff this entire time, Gale?" Runo asked.

"Well yeah. It kind of lightens the mood. Right, Baron?"

"Yep!" the four-year-old piped nearby him.

"Err...can we join you?"

"Hm...well, I don't remember the rules saying anything about that, so why not? The more the merrier."

"Yay-" Dan then cut himself. "-I mean, I wasn't scared. I bet Baron was getting bored with you rambling all the time, so it's good that we're joining you."

"R-rambling..?"

"Actually, Master Dan, Gale's stories are really interesting."

"W-whatever! Let's just keep on moving. We don't want the Midnight Man to catch us."

At the mention of that, the youngest chibi shrunk back. "I-I don't want to meet the Midnight Man..."

"And so we move~" as the two chibis set out, Runo lingered nearby the teen and whispered. "Can't believe that jerk's a really good friend of yours."

Gale simply smiled back. "Can't believe that same jerk's your boyfriend."

_**1:21am**_

"W-when is this game going to end..?" Lync asked Alice for probably the hundredth time. The girl wasn't tired of answering his question though as it was the same thing she asked herself every step she took. "Soon, Lync. We just have to keep it up for a while longer."

"But, how long?"

"If we keep thinking about that, then time would pass by slower. If we keep walking, it'll be 3:33am in no time."

"O-okay..." the little chibi allowed himself to believe her words and smiled.

_**1:40am**_

"Man...it sure is dark around here..." Shadow mumbled with the same cocky yet somewhat anxious face. Exploring some of the rooms, he soon found a nice, big one with a bed just sitting there. With a yawn, he walked to it, jump on it, and fell asleep soon afterward...completely forgetting that while playing the Midnight Game, that wasn't allowed.

_**2:05am**_

"Being stuck in the salt circle sucks." Gus muttered.

"What's better, seeing that thing again, or just sitting here?" Volt suddenly asked.

"...hm. Definitely sitting. I would like to kick the guy who made this game though."

"Same here."

_**2:33am**_

"One more hour to go." Shun stated.

"How do you know?" Hydron asked; doubtful.

"Easy. I'm wearing a glow in the dark watch."

"...convenient."

"I've been wearing one ever since Dan dragged me in to this game the first time."

"Now that I think about it, the way you and the others reacted when he mentioned that did strike me as odd. You actually played this before?"

"Yeah. One of those 'genius ideas' that he found in the internet. After playing that, he wouldn't go out of his house for a week."

"Hah, serves him right."

"Well yeah, but there was a very good reason why he acted that way."

"Hm? Really? What would that be? He actually saw the Midnight Man?"

"...that is what he claims."

_**2:56am**_

Spectra with his candle had been wandering around slowly as he thought of a million ways to kill Dan for keeping him in this boredom of a game. It wasn't scary at all, yet the fact that he was still abiding to it made him wonder if he was wary about this 'Midnight Man'. He would rather get some sleep than play this, but it would soon be over, anyway. Once that happens, the little brat won't ask to play it again. Hopefully.

As he crossed hallway after hallway, he soon heard a sound of small sniffling. He recognized it anywhere. "Mira?"

"K-Keith, is that you?" her higher, more child-like voice replied. With his light source at hand, he approached the sobbing Vestal who was sitting in a badly done salt circle and her unlit candle beside her. "Y-you're here..." she mumbled softly; a little hard to understand from her sniveling. The teen's expression didn't change, but inside, his mind was screaming to help her out. He had ignored that feeling for the longest time-the feeling of being an older brother, yet now, he didn't mind his 'emotions' winning over. Just this one night.

And so without hesitating, he blew his candle, which surprised the child more than anything. Softly and incoherently, he counted to ten while taking out the package of salt in his pocket. "Three...four...five..." he then spread it around him and Mira, and just sat down beside her as he continued counting. "Seven...eight...nine...ten. Looks like I can't move anymore, I'll have to stay here."

"Keith..?"

He turned to her and showed her a genuine smile. Even in the darkness, she could feel it-the very same smile that he always wore when they were younger. "Don't worry, I'll be here until the game ends, and even afterward."

Mira proceeded to cry as she hugged her older brother tightly. She thought of the game at first was ridiculous, but now she wished that it would never end, for this was the only time...in a long time...that her brother was with her, and no one else was going to disturb them.

_**3:02am**_

"I think we lost." Marucho said.

"We're stuck in a salt circle waiting for the game to end. Does it feel like we lost?" Julie repeated.

"Hrm. You don't need to sound sarcastic about it."

"I wasn't sarcastic." the Aquos brawler just kept silent. He estimated that they had less than an hour left before the game ends, which was good, because this was starting to get awkward.

_**3:33am and onwards**_

"The game is done, fellow people. Thank you for playing the Midnight Game." a voice suddenly echoed in the darkness. Right after that, all the lights turned on, and everyone rejoiced.

Tadashi, the mansion's butler, simply smiled as he stretched his arms in the control room. It was finally done and over with, and now he can finally sleep. All those triggers with the creepy noises and footsteps got him tired.

Shadow, meanwhile, was still snoring away in the room with a fake dead hand on top of his belly. He was going to have one heck of a wakeup call later.

"Dan, remind me that if you suggest this game ever again, I'm going to put anestesia on you."

"Isn't that a bit rough, Runo?"

"Oh, I'm very serious."

"The game's done, isn't that what counts?" Gale chided.

"'Xactly, Master Dan. Master Gale is right."

"When did you start calling him master, Baron?"

"Since now."

And the rest of the night was filled with random conversations, stifled yawns, and finally sleep. When Gale's parents decided to come to the mansion to check on them, they were surprised to find twelve kids, three girls, a young man, and their son sleeping all on the couches. They simply beamed and decided to cook breakfast for them as a surprise for their return. They couldn't wait for everybody to wake up to a fresh new day. The day of spooks and treats was over.

**End**


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